First Friday Pride

JUNE 6th is FIRST FRIDAY PRIDE!
The most creative PRIDE celebration in the midwest!

JUNE 6TH | 5:00 - 2:00AM
Benson Creative District

We’re here! Some of us are queer! Let’s celebrate that! It’s time to be LOUD AND PROUD!


Celebrate queer creativity, radical joy, and vibrant community all across the Benson Creative District with art markets, gallery openings, open studios, drag, live music, and more!

✨ Come as you are. Be who you are. Pride is for all!

💖 Support free, public arts programming all year long — become a Friend of BFF at bffomaha.org/friend

🎨 FEATURED POSTER ARTIST: COUSE
A Benson icon! Catch Couse and their band SWAMPD at the Friend of BFF Happy Hour!

🎨 Huge thanks to blick_art for sponsoring our posters! Hop over to @blick_omaha and stock up on your spring art supplies!

🙏 First Friday Pride is powered by our FAB sponsors:
🌐 FiberFirst
🏛️ Omaha Community Foundation
🎭 Nebraska Arts Council & Cultural Endowment

💫 Extra love to our First Friday Sponsors who truly do the most:
🐥 Mutual of Omaha
🍦 Ted and Wally’s
🚂 Union Pacific
🅿️ Park Omaha

🎭 First Friday is supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment @neartscouncil. 🙌

DIY Screen Printing Workshop

Materials List

  • Tissue paper

  • Embroidery hoop (any size, the bigger the hoop, the blogger your design can be) 

  • Chiffon Fabric (Chiffon works the best, but most translucent fabric will work; tulle is not recommended because of how large the holes in the fabric are) 

  • Mod Podge (White glue will also work) 

  • Acrylic Paint

  • White Glue (if you are printing on fabric) 

  • Cornstarch 

  • Paint Pallet

  • Paint Brush

  • Any paper or cotton fabric you would like to print on

Instructions

How to Make the Screen:

  1. Draw your design onto a sheet of tissue paper, make sure your drawing is dark enough that you can see it through the chiffon/fabric. Cut your chiffon to 1.5 inches larger than your embroidery hoop on each side.

  2. Open your embroidery hoop, place the larger of the two circles under your tissue paper design. Then place your chiffon over both the biggest circle and the tissue paper design. Then take the smaller hoop and press it into the bigger hoop, sandwiching the tissue paper and chiffon between the two hoops. If you need to, tighten the hoop so everything stays together. 

  3. Now we can start adding glue/Mod Podge. The idea here is to paint everything that you DO NOT want to show up in your print, including the background. When painting, the tissue paper should be on the BOTTOM of your design; you are painting directly onto the chiffon. 

    1. Tip: The larger the features in your design, the better they will print; tiny letters do not print well! 

    2. Tip: add a little bit of paint to your Mod Podge/glue so you can see where you’ve already painted and don’t lose your place! 

  4. Let the Glue/ModPodge dry for 3-4 hours, 24 hours for best results.

  5. Once the glue is dry, rip off the tissue paper, and you can start printing! 

    1. Tip: if there is a little extra tissue paper left over, run the chiffon under cool water and it should dissolve off. 

    2. Tip: These chiffon screens can be reused over and over if you wash them under cold water after every use. Avoid hot water as it may degrade the glue over time. 

How to Make the Paint: 

  1. If printing on paper, use acrylic paint. If your paint is on the thinner side, mix with cornstarch (you’re looking for a margarine texture, easily spreadable but holds its shape). 

  2. If printing on fabric, do the same as the above, but add glue. (You will still want a margarine texture)


Printing Process: 

  1. If you’ve followed all of the steps correctly, you should have a screen print and paint ready to go. 

  2. Take whatever you wish to print on; I will be using paper as an example, center the hoop onto the paper. Once centered apply paint mixture to the screen. NOTE: your screen should have the largest hoop facing the paper, the other way around will flip your design. 

  3. Paint with circular motions until the design appears fully saturated. Lift your chiffon screen off the paper, and you’re done! 

    1. Tip: Avoid over-saturating your chiffon screen as it may muddy the lines and make your design hard to see. This may take one or two tries to get right. Don’t give up! 

    2. Tip: If you don’t love your design the first go around, you can always add more glue and refine some of the details. 

Why Support First Friday PRIDE?

Art is activism. Representation matters. And First Friday PRIDE ensures that LGBTQIA2S+ creatives are not just seen but paid for their work.

💰 57% of BFF Omaha’s total budget goes directly to artists.
📢 BFF’s digital reach is 40,000+ per month.
🏳️‍🌈 60% of attendees identify as LGBTQIA2S+.
🎭 90% of attendees say they “experienced or learned something new.”

But we can’t do this without YOU.

SPONSOR FIRST FRIDAY PRIDE

Your sponsorship directly funds artists, programming, and community-building efforts. It’s a chance to put your name alongside a movement that uplifts queer voices and ensures visibility for LGBTQIA2S+ creators.

🔥 Sponsorship Levels:
🏆 Presenting Partner ($5,000) – 1 Available
🎭 Rainbow Warrior ($2,500) – 2 Available
❤️ Proud Partner ($1,000) – 4 Available
💖 Fierce Ally ($500) – 6 Available

📆 Deadline to confirm sponsorship: March 31, 2025

👉 Ready to support First Friday PRIDE? Email us at alex@bffomaha.org to lock in your sponsorship today!

Because PRIDE isn’t just a moment—it’s a movement. And we need you to keep it going.

🏳️‍🌈🎨 CALLING ALL LGBTQIA2S+ ARTISTS! 🎭🏳️‍⚧️

First Friday PRIDE is back on June 6, 2025—and we want YOU to be part of it! 🌟

Seeking:
✨ Exhibiting & Live Visual Artists
🎶 Performing Artists & Musicians
📚 Art Educators (Workshops/Youth)
🎨 Muralists & Creators
🌈 Youth Artists & Activities
🙌 Volunteers & More!

PLUS—we’re teaming up with the ACLU of Nebraska to recruit artists for their annual Pride poster design! 🎨✊ If you're interested, be sure to check the application details.

📅 Deadline to apply: April 7, 2025

🔗 Apply now! https://forms.gle/xi7JBqpYzc2kmX5MA

ALWAYS SEEKING Performing, Visual, and Literary Artists!

Please contact JP!